Many people are interested in coroners' records as a means of following up family history or genealogy. We tend to assume that the coroner was involved only when the death was of a violent nature. However, this is a faulty assumption on our part. The coroner could also have been called in when the death was of a mysterious or accidental nature as well.

Another faulty assumption on the part of us as present day researchers is to assume that these records are of a more recent invention. Coroners have existed for hundreds of years, and in some localities those records of long ago still exist.

The new, throughly revised edition, of this indispensible guide is an
attempt to itemise all extant coroner's records in England and Wales
(county by county) which are now in public repositories. It is intended not only for
genealogists, but also for a number of other potential users of these
records, such as historians, archivists, sociologists, criminologists,
police, and for the coroners themselves, who are not always aware of
the records which their offices have generated over time.

Although
there are special rules concerning access to records less than 75 years
old, and material in some areas is regularly being destroyed once it is
over 15 years old, a wealth of information may still be available.